To the origins
Armagnac might never have seen the light of day without a clever cultural mix. It is commonly admitted that the Celts, the Romans and the Vascons have allowed, without knowing it, the elaboration of this very old brandy. The first ones invented the barrel of wood bent in heat. It allowed the conservation of the beer and the transport of liquids like drinking water. The second, by invading the Aquitaine Gaul in 56 BC, left us the culture of the vine as a heritage. The third, an Iberian people with roots in the southern Pyrenees, came into conflict with the Visigoths and Franks on numerous occasions from the5th century onwards. The expansion of the Umayyad caliphate in the Iberian Peninsula at the beginning of the 8th century pushed the Vascons to occupy the south of Aquitaine. They brought with them a most intriguing Arab invention: the still. The Gascons now had everything they needed to develop Armagnac, and even its name. The knight Herreman, a companion of Clovis, was granted a fiefdom in the southwest around the year 500. His name was Latinized into "Arminius" which became Armagnac in Gascon. In the Middle Ages, many alchemists were looking for an elixir of long life, which they hoped to obtain by distilling fermented drinks. But it is necessary to wait until 1310 and the fertile pen of Master Vital Dufour, prior of Eauze and Saint-Mont, to report the benefits of a homemade ardent aygue. In his Latin manuscript "Pour garder la santé et rester en bonne forme" (To keep healthy and stay in good shape), he reports that his brandy has 40 therapeutic virtues. Among these, " it cooks an egg, cooked or raw meats, it preserves them. [It sharpens the mind if taken in moderation, [...] makes a man joyful above all else, preserves youth and delays senility Armagnac is not yet consumed, but it is used in gargles to fight against cough, fever or deafness. Its high alcohol content allows it to disinfect wounds. It was marketed as a medicinal potion and was so successful that the Cadets of Gascony obtained it before going to the front against the English in 1429. Stills multiplied in Gascony. The real development of brandy as a drink began in the 17th century. The Dutch were fond of wines from France. The English in Aquitaine forbade the transport of wine, but not of alcohol. Consequently, the Dutch brought up many barrels of Armagnac by river. The profession of "bouilleur de cru" (distiller) appeared to meet the demand. In the 18th century, Armagnac made its appearance as a digestive on the table of King Louis XV. A century later, in 1857, the production area was officially delimited and included more than 100,000 hectares of vines. Phylloxera brought Armagnac production to a sudden halt at the end of the 19th century. The aphid devastated the vineyard in less than 3 years, except for the Bas-Armagnac region which was naturally protected by its sandy soil. A law of 1909 enlarges the production area and creates a specification supervised by the INAO, intended to put an end to fraud. The brandy obtained the AOC in 1936 and the Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l'Armagnac (BNIA) was created under Vichy.
The grape varieties of Armagnac
Armagnac is made from distilled white wines aged in oak barrels. The Fallières decree of May 25, 1909, delimiting the production area, sets out the grape varieties to be planted. Vines had to be replanted after the terrible phylloxera attack, and 10 grape varieties were selected. Over the course of harvests, blends and fashions, winegrowers retained only 4: ugni blanc, folle blanche, colombard and baco 22 A. These grapes have the common advantage of being hardy and offering appreciable yields. Ugni blanc is the most popular grape variety, accounting for 55% of planted areas. This grape variety of Tuscan origin offers yields of 100 to 150 hectoliters per hectare and delivers fine, light notes when distilled. Folle blanche is the emblematic grape variety of Armagnac. Originally from the Charentes region, it is better known as gros plant in the Nantes region and is nicknamed piquepoult in Gascon. It was the leading grape variety before phylloxera devastated the vineyards. Today, it accounts for only 5% to 8% of cultivated land. Its fragility and low resistance to frost mean that it has been neglected by winegrowers, although it is still appreciated for its delicate floral aromas. Colombard, another grape variety from the Charente region that dominates cognac production, is widely grown, but mainly marketed as a dry white wine. It gives off spicy notes and roundness, but rarely produces single-varietal armagnacs. Finally, baco 22 A is the result of hybridization between folle blanche and noah. In 1898, François Baco, a schoolteacher from the Landes region, began grafting French grape varieties onto American vines. This saved and revitalized Armagnac production. From his 6,000 trials, he selected the 22nd vine in row A, which seemed to thrive in the sandy soils of Bas-Armagnac. Baco is highly resistant to mildew, powdery mildew and frost. Controversial because of its hybrid nature, it was banned in 1992, but soon reinstated in the INAO specifications. Its properties make it possible to reduce the intensive use of phytosanitary products. Baco now accounts for 39% of Armagnac vineyards.
Manufacturing Secrets
The elaboration of the armagnac follows a long and technical process. The grapes are harvested in September, destemmed and pressed. The juice is vinified without adding sugar or sulfur. The lees, yeasts contained in the grapes, will transform the sugar into alcohol and bring roundness to the brandy. Distillation can begin 10 days after fermentation and must be completed by March 31 following the harvest. During the winter, the stills heat up and the distillers have little time to sleep. They obtain 15 to 20 liters of armagnac with 100 liters of white wine. The Armagnac still patented in 1818 allows a continuous distillation. It consists of two copper towers. The first one includes a loading tank into which the wine is poured. This one surmounts the cooler crossed by a coil which allows to condense the alcohol vapors. The wine enters the cooler from the bottom and circulates around the coil. As it fills the tower, it heats up in contact with the coil, before pouring into the second tower. A pipe leads it to the top of the heating tower. The wine goes down into the boiler where it will be boiled by crossing a series of trays. The alcohol vapors rise in droplets in the heating body. They are loaded with the aromas of the wine as they pass through the trays. A swan neck transfers the droplets to the cooling coil. Condensation takes place and a piece of armagnac, or barrel, awaits the precious distillate at the exit of the coil. If gas is more and more used for the regularity of its flame, some prefer the traditional wood heating. This requires great technical mastery and several species are used to ensure a regular flame. At the exit of the still, the brandy is colorless. It takes on its amber color after aging in 420-liter oak barrels. The armagnac is regularly tasted during this period which lasts from one year to... infinity. This allows for the necessary blending to take place and for the brandy to be transferred from a new barrel to an old one at the appropriate time. The Armagnac takes the tannins of the wood and the vanilla notes from the new barrels; the old barrels take the sweetness. The blending of grape varieties or vintages allows to obtain the "house taste". The year indicated on a bottle of Armagnac is always the most recent. Once bottled, the armagnac does not age. It is then marketed under various denominations that correspond to the duration of aging. The V.S.(Very Special) corresponds to a blend of vintages, the youngest of which is at least one year old; the V.S.O.P(Very Special Old Pale) corresponds to a blend that has spent at least four years in oak barrels; the X.O(Extra Old) and Hors d'Âge have aged for at least 10 years in the shadow of the cellars.
The art of tasting
The complex eau-de-vie that is armagnac is best enjoyed in a balloon or tulip glass, for more concentrated aromas. There's no need to heat the glass in the palm of the hand, but those who fear the fire of the ardent aygue add a spoonful of cool water to bring out the flavors and reduce the ethers. It is also advisable to serve it 10 to 15 minutes before drinking, to allow it to open up. Armagnac is traditionally drunk as a digestif, and goes wonderfully well with a square of dark chocolate or a cigar. The more daring serve a young armagnac as an aperitif, or an Hors d'Âge with cheese. Depending on the blend, vintage and producer, the amber-colored eau-de-vie will reveal notes of fresh or candied fruit, flowers (lilac, violet, rose...), spices (vanilla, pepper, licorice...), cocoa, tobacco or leather. The first step is to swirl the beverage in the glass to coat the sides. Armagnac is first tasted through the nose, without bringing the glass too close together, otherwise it will become anaesthetized. The most volatile notes are released. Thirdly, the glass is brought to the mouth, taking care to salivate before dripping the liquid onto the tip of the tongue. This has the effect of diminishing the fiery sensation of the first sip. The longer the notes in the mouth, the better the armagnac. In any case, it should be enjoyed sparingly and in moderation.
